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| My new shuttle vehicle. |
Aqua Dulce to Bouquet Rd.–Nobo
Miles: 12
Hiking with: Gary
Lodging: Best Western John Jay Inn, Palmdale, CA – There are a lot of hotels in Palmdale along Hwy 14. I got my Best Western discount and so got a real deal. Regardless of what I paid I feel Best Western is always a great deal. They’re always cheaper than the Marriotts, Hiltons, and Holiday Inn Expresses and usually get comparable rooms. However, this hotel only had hard wired Internet in the rooms. The only wireless available was in the lobby.
Shuttle: I bought a Dual Sport Bike (Kawasaki 250) that I can now put on the back of my Excursion & shuttle myself!!!
Dining: We ate at Fresco II at the Antelope Valley Mall. It was sort of high end food and pretty good. I usually prefer cheaper food but Gary was paying. The mall had a lot of traffic and all the restaurants were really busy. I would have preferred to eat in Lancaster at the Bayou Barbque or Baha Fresh.
Start: Downtown Aqua Dulce. mile 454.5
End: Bouquet Canyon Rd. mile 466
People along the trail: We saw a trail runner that probably did about 12 miles and another couple that was trail running/hiking about 16 miles. Both were doing out and back trips. There are definitely locals that hike this section of the PCT on the weekends.
Description: We dropped off my new motor bike where the PCT crosses the Bouquet Canyon Rd. I was debating if I try to hide it and where I could chain it up. There was really nowhere to hide it in the bushes (I couldn't leave it on its side) so I just chained it to the PCT sign next to the road -- visible to everyone. We then drove to Agua Dulce -- about a 45 minute drive and parked my car on the road side in downtown Agua Dulce.
The first 2 miles is the road north out of Agua Dulce. After that the PCT followed a dirt road under a power line and around the Agua Dulce Movie Ranch. To quote the Movie Ranch's website: "S.O.S. FilmWorks is a 348 acre filming site consisting of flat topography. Half of the property is zoned M-1 and is zoned for large scale pyrotechnics and/or weapons firing. We have a private water system, asphalt and concrete pads, nine fire hydrants and gated access on an asphalt road. The picture shown above is a complete Cafe/Mini-Mart at Middleton Ranch. It was designed specifically for filming. The most visible set at S.O.S is our L10-11, full size, jet fuselage. The interior is vintage 1974, complete with ashtrays. A bathroom set has already been built. The property is zoned M-1 (Heavy Industrial), and is pyrotechnic friendly."
About a month later on March 11, 2012 a plane taking off from the Agua Dulce airport crashed in Spring Canyon which is the canyon south of the PCT and you ascend up to peak of this hike at mile 462. It was a steady hike up and then a quick hike back down the mountain to Bouquet Canyon Rd. When I was about 1/2 mile from the road I could see my motorbike still chained to the PCT sign along side the road. However I saw a dirk bike rider drive down the road, turn around and check out my bike. He took off just before I got back. All was well. I jumped on my motorbike and road back to Agua Dulce where my car was, loaded up the motorbike, and returned to pick up Gary.
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| My new bike chained to a PCT sign. |
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| Agua Dulce Movie Ranch. Note the plane fuselage on the far side. |
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| A view back at PCT switchbacks heading out of Agua Dulce. |
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| A view back at PCT switchback heading out of Agua Dulce. |
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| A large portion of the mountain side had been burned |
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| On the north side of the mountain as we descended to Bouquet Canyon road there were small patches of snow. |
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| The downhill side of the hike went in and out of shade where as the uphill side (Agua Dulce side) was very exposed. |
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| The Manzanita trees were in bloom. |
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| Yummy Cinnamon Roll from Agua Dulce's Mon Ami bakery. The PCT goes right in front of it. Lots of cinnamon!!! |
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